Post-mortem sternum chest plate



1964 w. H. SORENSEN POST-MORTEM STERNUM CHEST PLATE Filed 001;. 1, 1962IN VENTOR A T TOR/ IEYS United States Patent 3,121,934 PGST-MGRTEMSTERNUM CHEST PLATE William H. Sorensen, Martin, S. Dali. Filed (let. 1,1962, Ser. No. 227,394 2 Claims. (Cl. 27-21) This invention relates to anew and very useful postmortem chest plate for cadavers.

In conducting post-mortem examinations of cadavers it is commonlynecessary to explore the interior of the thoracic and abdominal cavitiesin the torso. For this purpose, it is the common practice to cut an ovalhole in the rib cage through the front of the body, severing the ribsand sternum. However, following the examination, difiiculty isexperienced in returning the exterior of the chest to a normal positionor appearance because of the lack of support for the sternum andattached bony and cartilaginous structures.

It is an object of this invention to provide a chest plate whichconforms generally to the exterior shape of the chest cavity and whichis shaped so as to rest upon and be supported by the severed ends of theribs and the clavicle bones, thereby to provide a platform over whichskin may be laid and sutured together along the incision lines therein.The result is to create in a cadaver which has undergone a post-mortemexamination of the torso interior, a chest cavity having a normallyexpanded appearance.

(It is another object of this invention to provide a method forreforming the chest of a cadaver which has undergone a torso interiorpost-mortem examination, so as to give such corpse a normal exteriorappearance.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a postmortem chestplate as a cover for an aperture through the rib cage in the chest of acadaver, to provide a platform to support the chest skin in a positionsomewhat resembling its original viable shape.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from a reading of the attached specification,taken together with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a human torso showing the manner of layingopen the skin and rib cage for a post-mortem examination of the internalbody organs (not shown), some parts thereof broken away;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a thoracic cavity which has beenopenend in the manner shown in FIG. 1, and which is covered with thepost-mortem chest plate of this invention, some parts thereof beingbroken away;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the thoracic cavity of a torso which hasundergone post-mortem examination and which has been closed with thepost-mortem sternum plate of this invention, some parts thereof brokenaway; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing the exterior appearance of areconstructed torso containing within the thoracic region thepost-mortem chest plate of this invention.

Turning to the drawings, there is seen in FIGURE 1 a torso 1h laid openfor post-mortem examination in a conventional manner. An incision 11 ismade extending vertically down the middle of the torso 10, beginningabout one-third of the way down the (approximated) center line of thesternum and extending to the crotch or inguen 12. From the upper end ofthe elongated vertical incision 11 is made a pair of diagonal incisions13 and 14, each running upwardly and outwardly from the upper end of theelongated vertical incision 11 at an angle of about 120. Each diagonalincision 13 and 14 extends to respective clavicles 26 and 27. The skinand associated tissue and musculature immediately associated therewithis then folded back to form folds 15 and 16,

thereby exposing the musculature and skeletal structure lyingtherebeneath.

Such examination of the musculature as is desired is then made. To enterthe thoracic cavity it is necessary to cut away a portion of the ribcage. This is conveniently accomplished by severing the sternum 28crosswise at about line 2? and then severing each rib approximately inthe region where the bony structure of the rib ends and the costalcartilage begins. Thus, the seven true ribs which are connected directlyto each side of the sternum and the three false ribs which are notdirectly connected to the sternum but are indirectly connected theretoby means of costal cartilaginous linkages, are all severed. Unlessalready removed in the process of cutting through the rib cage, thefollowing muscle pairs are cut (in descending order): the latissimusdorsi, the obliquus externus abdominis, and the rectus abdominis.

The resulting ovate or elliptically shaped bony and cartilaginoussection is then lifted out and post-mortem examination of the internalorgans is conducted as desired. This ovate bony section includes thelower end of the sternum, costal cartilages, and associated rib ends. Atthe conclusion of the examination, the various organs and tissues whichmay have been removed are usually replaced and the ovate bony andcartilaginous section is set back in place.

However, as those familiar with the human body will appreciate, there isnosupporting internal structure upon which to rest the ovate bony andcartilaginous section. Consequently, without some extraneous orsupplemental supporting means, the folds of skin 15 and 16, were they tobe returned to their normal position and sutured together, would form asagging region in the position where the chest is normally rounded andexpanded across the region of the sternum.

To correct this situation and restore the shape of the rib cage and thatof the exterior chest appearance to some thing resembling that in thenormal homo sapiens, there is provided the chest plate 17 shown in topview in FIG- URE 3 and in side view in FIGURE 2. This chest plate 17 isgenerally bilaterally symmetrical along a lengthwise, runninghypothetical center line. The plate 17 itself, when viewed from an end,has an exterior surface which is convex and shaped generally so as toconform to a normal torso curvature. The top mid-region is dished out orcut away concavely, as when viewed in top plan, leaving a pair of peaksor points .18 and 19 on either side. Laterally of each respective peak18 and 19, along the top sides of the chest plate 17, is an expanded orbowed region numbered 29 and 21 respectively (paired). These expandedregions 20 and 2 1 serve to fill out the chest region in the domainroughly between the respective scapulas 30 and 3-1 and the sternum,because, the musculature in this region having been severed as abovedescribed, would otherwise sag in an abnormal or unnatural manner.Opposite corners across the bottom region of chest plate 17 downwardlyprotrude to form protuberances 22 and 23. The bottom center 24 of chestplate 17 is dished in a concave manner, as when viewed in top plan.

When mounted over the ovate hole in the rib cage of a cadaver, peaks 18and .19 rest on the respective cl-avicles 26 and 27, these bones havingbeen left joined to the top end of the sternum 2 8 for this purpose. Thelower opposite side edges of the chest plate 17 below the bowed regions20 and 21 rest upon the severed ends of the ribs in this region.

Once the chest plate 17 is in position, the folds of skin and tissue 15and .16 are folded back or placed over chest plate 17. Conveniently,skin edges are fastened together as by suturing, in the manner shown in'FIG. 4, clipping, or the like, over chest plate 17. The chest plate 17not only serves to restore the chest to a normal appearance but alsoserves as a platform upon which suturing is readily accomplished.Observe that the dished portion 24 in the bottom center region of chestplate 17 serves to allow the abdominal region to have a normalappearance exteriorly in the so remodeled cadaver.

Also observe that should the clavicles and associated intervening topportion of the sternum, for some reason, be separated before the chestplate 17 is placed in position, such as, for example, could happen whenthe bony structure of the torso is bady damaged, morticians usingordinary skill in the art can artificially reposition the clavicles andsternum in their approximate positions, or use their artificialequivalents, so as to permit use of the chest plate 17 of this inventionto cover the chest aperture. Similarly, if the false rib ends used tosupport the bottom sides of the chest plate 17 are dislocated or evenremoved, morticians using ordinary techniques known to the art canreposition such rib ends so as to permit use of the chest plate of thisinvention. Consequently, the chest plate of this invention is adaptablefor use in a variety of ways by morticians.

In general, chest plate 17 is formed from resilient, selfsupportingmaterial, preferably thin. Conventional plastic materials can be used,such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, etc.

In summary, the present invention relates to a postmortem chest plateformed from resilient self-supporting material and adapted to bepositioned between the rib cage and the skin of a cadaver, said platebeing bilaterally symmetrical and having a top surface curved toresemble the appearance of a normal chest, peaked upper corner portionsadapted to rest upon respective clavicles of said cadaver, upperopposite side edges outwardly bowed, downwardly sloping lower cornerportions adapted to rest upon the ends of the lower ribs of saidcadaver, and upper and lower concave edges intermediate said upper andlower corner portions, respectively.

The invention also relates to the method for restoring the chest of acadaver to a normally expanded appearance following a post-mortemexamination of the interior of the thoracic cavity. This method involvesthe steps of positioning a plate of resilient material and having a topcontour resembling the normal shape of the chest over the chest apertureformed in the rib cage during said post-mortem and disposing the uppercorner portions of said plate on the adjacent clavicles of said cadaverand the lower corner portions of said plate on the ends of the 5 lowerribs of said cadaver, and thereafter covering said chest plate with theskin of said cadaver.

This invention has been thoroughly tested and found to be completelysatisfactory for the accomplishment of the above objects, and while Ihave shown and described a preferred embodiment, I wish it to bespecifically understood that the same is capable of modification withoutdeparture from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The claims are:

1. A post-mortem chest plate formed from self-supporting sheetlikematerial and adapted to be positioned between the rib cage and the skinof a cadaver, said plate being bilaterally symmetrical and having:

(a) a top surface curved to resemble the appearance of a normal chest,

(b) peaked upper corner portions adapted to rest upon respectiveclavicles of said cadaver.

(0) upper opposite side edges outwardly bowed,

(d) downwardly sloping lower corner portions adapted to rest upon theends of the lower ribs of said cadaver, and

(e) upper and lower concave edges intermediate said upper and lowercorner portions respectively.

2. A post-mortem chest plate formed from resilient self-supportingmaterial and adapted to be positioned between the rib cage and the skinof a cadaver, said plate being bilaterally symmetrical and having:

(a) peaked upper corner portions adapted to rest upon respectiveclavicles of said cadaver,

([1) upper opposite side edges outwardly bowed,

(c) downwardly sloping lower corner portions adapted to rest upon theends of the lower ribs of said cadaver, and

(d) upper and lower concave edges intermediate said upper and lowercorner portions respectively.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,154,689 Bradley Sept. 28, 1915

1. A POST-MORTEM CHEST PLATE FORMED FROM SELF-SUPPORTING SHEETLIKEMATERIAL AND ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED BETWEEN THE RIB CAGE AND THE SKINOF A CADAVER, SAID PLATE BEING BILATERALLY SYMMETRICAL AND HAVING: (A) ATOP SURFACE CURVED TO RESEMBLE THE APPEARANCE OF A NORMAL CHEST, (B)PEAKED UPPER CORNER PORTIONS ADAPTED TO REST UPON RESPECTIVE CLAVICLESOF SAID CADAVER.